Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Honourable Susuga
Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi
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Tuilaʻepa in 2018
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| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 5 July 2023 |
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| Deputy | Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 27 July 2021 – 11 November 2022 |
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| Deputy | Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | [[Palusalue Faʻapo II]] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Fonotoe Pierre Lauofo | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6th Prime Minister of Samoa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 23 November 1998 – 24 May 2021 |
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| O le Ao o le Malo |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Tofilau Eti Alesana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | [[Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa]] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Human Rights Protection Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 23 November 1998 |
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| Deputy |
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| Preceded by | Tofilau Eti Alesana | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of the Samoan Parliament for Lepā |
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| Assumed office May 1981 |
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| Preceded by | [[Fatialofa Momoʻe]] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
Saʻilele Malielegaoi
14 February 1944 Lepā, Western Samoa Trust Territory (now Samoa) |
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| Political party | Human Rights Protection Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse | Gillian Meredith | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Auckland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Susuga Tuilaʻepa Lupesoliai Neioti Aiono Saʻilele Malielegaoi (born 14 February 1944) is a Samoan politician and economist. He was the sixth prime minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021. Tuilaʻepa is known as Samoa's longest-serving prime minister. He has led the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) since 1998. Tuilaʻepa first became a Member of Parliament in 1981. He represented the area of Lepā. He also served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance.
In 2021, Tuilaʻepa's party lost its majority in the election. This led to a period of political uncertainty in Samoa. The Supreme Court of Samoa later ruled that a new government should take power. Tuilaʻepa then became the leader of the opposition. He was suspended from parliament for a time but was later reinstated. In July 2023, he again became the Leader of the Opposition.
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About Tuilaʻepa's Life
Tuilaʻepa was born in the village of Lepā on the island of Upolu. He went to high school at St Joseph's College in Lotopa. He also studied at St Paul's College, Auckland in New Zealand. He then earned a master's degree from the University of Auckland. He was the first Samoan to get a master's degree in commerce.
He started his career working for the Samoan government's treasury department. He became the director of the Economics Department. Later, he was the deputy financial secretary. He then worked in Brussels for the European Economic Community. He also worked for a company called Coopers & Lybrand. In 1981, he was elected to the Samoan parliament.
In 2009, a big earthquake and tsunami hit Samoa. Tuilaʻepa lost some family members in this disaster. His hometown of Lepā was mostly destroyed. Only the church and the village's welcome sign were left standing.
Tuilaʻepa's Political Journey
Tuilaʻepa became the Minister of Economic Affairs in 1982. He was then made Minister of Finance in 1984. He served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Tofilau Eti Alesana. This was after the Human Rights Protection Party came back into power. For a while, he was both Prime Minister and Minister of Finance. After the 2001 elections, he gave up the Finance Minister role. This was because being both Prime Minister and Finance Minister was a lot of work.
Tuilaʻepa was first elected to represent his Lepā district in 1980. He has been re-elected for Lepā many times since then. In 1991, he became Deputy Prime Minister. In 1998, Prime Minister Tofilau retired due to health reasons. Tuilaʻepa then became the 6th Prime Minister of Samoa. He led his party to win elections in 2001, 2006, 2011, and 2016. In 2012, Tuilaʻepa became Samoa's longest-serving prime minister.
Important Policies
Views on Fiji's Government
Tuilaʻepa was a strong critic of Fiji's interim leader, Frank Bainimarama. Bainimarama took power in Fiji in 2006. Tuilaʻepa believed that Bainimarama did not respect other Pacific leaders. He said Bainimarama did not want to return Fiji to democratic rule. He also said Bainimarama avoided regional meetings. Tuilaʻepa felt that Bainimarama's actions were not the "Pacific way."
Working with Polynesian Countries
In 2011, Tuilaʻepa started a meeting for Polynesian leaders. This led to the creation of the Polynesian Leaders Group. This group helps Polynesian countries work together. They cooperate on things like culture, education, climate change, and trade. This group was partly formed in response to another group called the Melanesian Spearhead Group.
Support for Christianity
In June 2017, the Samoan Parliament passed a law to support Christianity more in the country's constitution. The constitution now states that "Samoa is a Christian nation founded of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." This change means that references to Christianity are now a stronger part of Samoa's main law.
Tuilaʻepa's Sporting Life
Tuilaʻepa founded a rugby club called Apia West Rugby. He is also the chairman of the Samoa Rugby Union. Tuilaʻepa even competed for Samoa in target archery at the 2007 South Pacific Games. He was the first elected leader to represent his country at a major sports event. He had only started archery five months before the Games. He won a silver medal in the mixed recurve team event. His son was also on the reserve team.
Matai Titles
Tuilaʻepa holds several traditional Samoan chief titles, known as [[Faʻamatai]] titles. These include:
- Tuilaʻepa
- Lupesoliai
- Neioti
- Aiono
- Fatialofa
- Lolofie
- Galumalemana (Vaitele)
- Aueluā
The 2021 Samoan Election
In the 2021 general election, Tuilaʻepa was re-elected for his area of Lepā without anyone running against him. After the election, the results showed a very close race between Tuilaʻepa's HRPP party and the FAST party. Both parties ended up with the same number of seats. An independent Member of Parliament held the deciding vote.
The Samoan Electoral Commission then added an extra seat to parliament. This was to meet a rule about having enough female members. This extra seat went to the HRPP. However, the independent MP decided to join FAST. This meant both parties still had an equal number of seats.
The Head of State then announced that a second election would be held. This was to break the tie. However, the Supreme Court of Samoa later ruled that adding the extra seat was against the constitution. They also said that calling for a new election was not legal. This meant the original election results stood, giving FAST a majority.
The 2021 Samoan Political Crisis
Tuilaʻepa disagreed with the court's decision. He said it was "illegal." He and his party refused to be sworn into parliament. The swearing-in ceremony was even cancelled by the Parliament speaker. However, the FAST party held their own swearing-in ceremony outside parliament. Tuilaʻepa called this ceremony illegal.
The Court of Appeal later ruled that the FAST party's swearing-in was legal. They said FAST had been the government since May 24, 2021. Tuilaʻepa and his ministers had been in office illegally since then. After this ruling, Tuilaʻepa packed up his office. He accepted defeat on July 26, almost three months after the election.
In May 2022, Tuilaʻepa was suspended from parliament. This was because he had criticized the courts during the crisis. He was reinstated in September after a Supreme Court ruling. However, he was later suspended again for 24 months. This suspension was also ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in July 2023.
Leader of the Opposition (2021–2022; 2023–present)
On July 27, 2021, Tuilaʻepa became the Leader of the Opposition. He continued to question the court's decisions. In November 2022, he was no longer recognized as the opposition leader due to his suspension. Another HRPP member took his place. But after his suspension was overturned in July 2023, he became the opposition leader again.
Convoy Protest
In July 2021, Tuilaʻepa and his supporters held a protest against the courts. They tried to visit the graves of former HRPP prime ministers. They were stopped by roadblocks in some villages. Tuilaʻepa called the roadblocks "unlawful" but turned back for peace. He later accused a government minister of being behind the roadblocks, which the minister denied. Tuilaʻepa later made an informal apology to the judiciary.
Parliament Swearing-in
When the FAST party was sworn in, HRPP members were not present. The Supreme Court later ordered that all HRPP members be sworn in. The Speaker of Parliament initially said they would not be allowed to attend. Tuilaʻepa and HRPP members tried to enter parliament but were stopped by police. The Supreme Court then ruled that the HRPP members must be sworn in. They were sworn in the next morning.
Calls to Step Down
After some by-elections in November 2021, some HRPP members suggested Tuilaʻepa should resign. This was because the party did not perform well in those elections. Tuilaʻepa said there was no tension in the party. He also said he was ready to discuss a possible resignation with party members.
Suspension from Parliament
Tuilaʻepa was suspended from parliament indefinitely in May 2022. This was due to his actions during the constitutional crisis. He argued that he could not defend himself properly. He also claimed the ruling party was on a "witch hunt" against him. The Supreme Court later ruled this suspension unconstitutional. He was reinstated in September. However, parliament then voted to suspend him again for 24 months. Tuilaʻepa said he would not resign because he believed he had done nothing wrong. In July 2023, the Supreme Court again ruled that this suspension was unconstitutional and void.
Assassination Attempts
Tuilaʻepa has been the target of three plots to kill him. In 1999, someone tried to kill him, but instead, one of his Cabinet Ministers was murdered. In 2010, police found another plot. In August 2019, authorities stopped a detailed plan to assassinate him.
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See also
In Spanish: Tuila'epa Sailele Malielegaoi para niños
